Operating mechanism for washing machines



1.. NELSON ANDG. SEEDS. OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.APPLICATION IFILED MAY 26. 1921;

Patfin M May 23,, W22.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

1 Jb m Welsa l' 6 20x736 ee J. wusow AND G. suns. OPERMING MECHANISM FORWASHING MACHINES. APPLICATION HLEO yam/26.1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nately rotate the same,

,J'OHN NELEaON AND GEORGE SEEDS,

or n'nw'ron, Iowa, nests-irons re auroral-trio ELECTRIC WASHER 00.,INC., A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

1,4t1.'t,@99. Application mean ra as,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JoHN Nelson and GnononSnnns, citizens of the UnitedStates, and residents of the city ofNewton, in'the countyof Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented certainnew and useful Improvemerits in an Operating Mechanism for WashmgMachines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the saine, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a driving mechanism fora washing machine ofthe doll type, in which a vertical power driven shaft is operativelygeared to the dolly to alterand it is an object of this invention toprovide a novel driving mechanism that connects the vertical shaft tothe dolly with provision for raising the cover of the washing machinewithout interfering with said driving connection. It is a further objectof this invention to provide an efficient, practicable and simplemechanism having a universal or flexible joint on the line of the coverhinge. 7 With these and other objects in view which will become moreapparent in the following description and disclosures in the drawing,our invention comprises the novel features of construction, combinationsand arrangement of parts hereafter more specifically described andpointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of our inventionand in which similar reference nun'lerals refer to similar parts in thedifferent views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a washing machine with the wringer andparts omitted showing our novel driving mechanism.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure '1, showing theuniversal joint.

Figure 1- is a top plan view of the washing machine with the removablewringer in assembled relation and illustrating by dotted lines theswinging feature of the wringer.

Figure is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4 On the drawings:

Tn referring now, to Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted a vertical powerdriven shaft Specification of Letters Patent.

l, the said shaft 1 is 'be covered by a hood OPERATING 1WECI-IANIS1WLFOR WASHING MACHINES.

Patented any as, was. 1921. Serial No. t'?2,675. a

1 is rotatably mounted on the frame of the washing: machine and risesabove the tub for, removably supporting a wringer 2. Directly above-thecover 8 of the wash tub provided with a gear 5 connected to said shaftby a clutch. not shown. The gear 5 is enclosed in a casing or housing 6and meshes with a gear 7 encased in a housing 8 adapted to be removablycovered by a circular cover 9. The gear 7 is supported on a stub shaft10 which is mounted in a socket 11 integral with a plate 12 extendingacross a portion of the top of the wash tub. The plate 12 is providedwith hinge lugs 13 to which the cover 3 is l'linged and an anchoring lug14 for uniting the same to the casing 5.

The gear 7 is provided with a wrist pin. 15 for receiving the hollowbearing of a pitman 16 which extends to the center line of the wash tuband directly over the line of the cover hinge, where it is flexibly connected to the power arm of a gear segment 19. The flexible connectionillustrated comprises a ball or sphericalknob 17, on the end of thepitman 16 and fitting in a socket 18 on said gear segment 19 which ispivoted at 20 to a plate member 21 having a shrouding hood 22. The platemember 21 is mounted on the cover 3 and is provided with tl e hinge lugs23 that are pivoted to the hinge lugs 13. Within the hood 22, the gearor rack segment 19 meshes with a gear 2 1 secured on the shaft of thedolly 25. The arrangement is such that when the pitman 16 isreciprocated, the segment gear 19 will be oscillated on its pivot 20 andoperate the gear 24-. which will be rotated in one direction as thepitman "eciprocates 'lormird, and in the opposite direction. the pitnianreciprocates backwards. The pitman 16 may 26 attached to the platemember 12 and casing 8.

The universal joint formed by the ball 17 and socket 18 directly on theline of the cover 3 with the plate 12 allowsthe cover 3 to be raised atany time, without interferring with the driving mechanism, or stoppingthe same, since the operative relation of the pitman and gear segment isnot impaired by pitman andgear sege llne of range without leparting fromthe princi-- ples of this invention, and we therefore do not purposelimiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the priorart.

WVe claim as our invention:

1. In a washing machine having a cover hinged to the top thereof, adriven shaft jonrnalled in said cover and having a gear at its upperend, a gear segment pivoted to said cover and meshing with said gear,said gear segment having a power arm provided with a socket at its end,a pitnian having a spherical knob operatively connected in said socketand means for reciprocating said pitman.

2. In a washing noachine a cover, a vertieai ope ating sha'i'textendiznpg through said cover a gear segment pivoted on said cover. agear on said vertical shaft meshing with said segment, and drivingmechanisms i'or said segment QODlpliSiUg a pitnmn having one of its endspivotaii'y engaging said segment on the hinge line of said cover.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names in thepresence of two 2 subscribing witnesses.

JOHN NELSON. GB GR G11] bi Eh] I) Witnesses J. Cnoss, Vi. .hnrrn Hnnu.

